Gi repair

Well, what can be said about this, other than... the other day while performing Randori at my current dojo, the knee of my gi got a nice big tear in it. Being the cheap-ass I am, I would rather try my hand at repairing it rather than go through the time and expense to purchase a new gi.

So: does anyone have advice on this? Such as a particular type of thread to use? Does it matter?

I have used dental floss to repair rips and tears on my gi in the past with good results. Never seen a straightforward thread repair last more than six months, but your mileage may vary. Just sewed up a tear in my kid's gi the other day using floss.

Waxed or unwaxed doesn't seem to make a difference, but I would avoid mint flavored floss.

Doofaloofa, I have always used the floss with a needle and thread. I've never operated a sewing machine.

Originally Posted by NeilG

Why floss as opposed to just using some heavy-duty thread?

Because in my experience it seems to hold considerably longer than repairs done with any thread, even the heavy duty type.

I learned this trick from a buddy whose wife is a ballerina. Apparently, ballerinas use floss to repair their ballet shoes because there is no thread that will stand up to the abuse that ballet shoes endure.

Knowing this, my buddy used floss when his gi got torn. That was 7 years ago. I've been using floss myself since then. Still haven't had to sew anything a second time.

Also, eventually, try justgipants.com, by BJJ black belt Brandon Mullins. They only make and sell gi pants for folks who don't want to buy a whole gi when pants tear earlier and more often. (I got no stakes in the page and am just considering using their service... :-) )

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